Ambulance
The Los Angeles City Fire Department is an all risk department that handles not only traditional firefighting, but also rescue and medical emergencies. Unlike many places throughout the United States and the World, in the city of Los Angeles, the emergency EMS response and transport is handled in-house by the members of the LAFD. All members of the department are trained to the Emergency Medical Technician-Basic level with Los Angeles County expanded scope of practice qualification. This enables all members to be able to provide a basic level of EMS care as soon as an Engine, Light Force, or Ambulance is on scene which is greatly beneficial in the care and treatment of the patient. In addition to the standard EMT-B's, some members of the department have taken the time and effort and put forth the dedication required to expand their education and capabilities to achieve an EMT-P Paramedic rating. Paramedics differ from EMT-B's in that they are trained in advance cardiac life support measures, can treat additional injuries and ailments, intubate patients without a patent airway, and give necessary critical medications and drugs in the field. As part of their ACLS training, they are able to utilize the 12 lead EKG to best determine the correct method of treatment for cardiac ailments and utilize a manual defibrillator which is much more capable and advanced then a standard AED. These members are still, first and foremost firefighters, and must maintain their skills and proficiencies in both their Paramedic and Firefighting ratings. Types ALS = Carry Paramedics and can fully care for the patient and transport to hospital. BLS = Carry two regular FF/EMT's and can only heal patient if a minor injury has occured and needs transportation to hospital. Uses In Game Ambulances NEVER patrol the city. Frankly, they're just to busy! The few moments spent in quarters at any given time are spent working on paperwork, refreshing and restocking supplies, cleaning the equipment, and training/drilling/working on skill sets. In the game, just as in real life, it is imperative that you send the right ambulance to the right call. Getting ALS care to a patient who needs it is critical which is why the last thing you want to do is ever deplete a station or area of ALS care. It's usually a good idea to maximize the use of your BLS ambulances for transportation duty after the paramedics have work on the patient, and using a mix of the ALS Ambulance, Squads, and ALS Engines to do the actual treating. There is no reason to have an ALS ambulance transport a patient that has been treated by a Paramedic Assessment Engine! The patient is already being worked on and can wait the little bit for an 800 to arrive on scene and transport. Also, pay special attention to where the entry points are for the EMS units so that you can be aware of where the closest additional transport units are coming from. On major incidents, it is always a good idea to send an EMS Captain and an ALS ambulance to stage in case of a problem since on fires it isn't uncommon for a civilian car to suddenly explode or even to have a shooter pop up in the middle of another incident. Having a group set away and to the side that is ready to respond to help is critical!